Two Republicans who represent Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives voted for a bill that some people say would give the federal government access to information about any one person’s COVID-19 vaccination status.
Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) and Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) voted yes last week on H.R. 550. That bill is otherwise known as the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021.
The bill, if enacted into law, would require that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) improve data sharing and other aspects of immunization information systems. Representative Ann Kuster (D-NH-02), the bill’s sponsor, said in the bill that the databases are confidential.
Breitbart News, however, reported that some conservative members of the House are deeply unhappy with the bill and that they think it is “Orwellian.” They reportedly said the government is incapable of protecting Americans’ medical records.
Communications staff for both Kustoff and Fleischmann did not return The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment before Monday’s stated deadline.
The other Republicans who represent Tennessee, including Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) and Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) voted no on the bill. The two Democrats who represent Tennessee, Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN-05), voted yes, according to the U.S. House of Representatives’ website.
Republicans in the House from neighboring Georgia — with one exception — all voted against H.R. 550. The exception, U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA-01), told The Georgia Star News on Monday that he did not vote for a federal database that documents who got vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I have never, and will never, support a federal vaccine database. Unfortunately, some of my Republican colleagues are trading in truth for cheap political headlines,” Carter wrote via email.
“The truth is that HR 550 makes it harder for the government to track an individual’s vaccination status – that’s why I voted for it. The bill simply modernizes existing systems and ensures that your private vaccine information is not available to the government.”
Journalist Kyle Becker reported that the bill would spend $400 million in taxpayer money.
“The database would allow the government to notify people about when their booster shot is due,” Becker reported, quoting an unnamed political observer.
“Although the system is described as confidential, confidential in this case means confidential from the public, until of course records are indiscriminately released like has happened with the IRS, Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, or any number of high-profile government leaks and hacks.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “David Kustoff” by U.S. House Office of Photography. Photo “Chuck Fleischmann” by United States Congress. Background Photo “Vaccination” by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York. CC BY 2.0.
“One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine.” ~ Ronald Reagan
It is illegal to have a national gun registry, they have one and every prosecutor in any city has access to it. They still say they don’t have one but it seems strange you can give them a serial number to any gun bought in the last 20 or so years, and they can tell you who bought it, and most cases, who has it now. Their must be a national registry somewhere.
I’d like to hear their justification for voting for this intrusion by the federal government. I’m sure they have some sort of mealy mouth excuse which is inexcusable. Neither are my Rep. I don’t know Kustoff but have not heard much good about Fleischman other than he’s a RINO type politician. Whichever way the wind if blowing that will make him look good politically. So pretty much no principles.
Just coincidence? Both congressmen are “special people.”
If Democrats are involve it’s NEVER confidential. Everything is political. #VotetheBumsOut!
Mr Fleischmann, why would you vote for HR550, NOTHING BUT A MONEY ROBBING BILL, IS SOME GOIN IN YOUR POCKET? 😡😡🇺🇸🇺🇸
Terrible precedent with significant Federal government over-reach. What health information will thy collect in the future. This administration is already trying to access our bank accounts. The same democrat lot are also trying to change 2nd Amendment Rights. Their actions feel Orwellian. The voters in the respective congressional districts of Kustoff and Fleischmann need to dump these two. I join fellow writer David Blackwell RN in contacting the offices of these representatives to strongly express disapproval.
Not in my district but yeah…thanks RINOs…thanks for selling us out.
Democrats must have dirt on these two or they were promised something that would solely benefit themselves financially. My guess is the former.
VOTE. THEM. OUT.
Vote these two Rino’s out, we have enough democrat socialist progressives, Cooper and Cohen, to deal with. We do not need spinless Rino’s joining the opposition What an arrogant pose of the Rino on the right in the attached photo. Send them home, not needed, do not apply!
Trust me. I called their offices and chewed arse. What morons.
One of those two just lost my vote.